Examples of Wordplay in Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Diction
Syntax
Lexicon
Personification
Alliteration
Assonance
Repetition
Pun
"The Dormouse had closed its eyes by this time, and was going off into a doze; but, on being pinched by the Hatter it woke up again with a little shriek, and went on: '--that begins with an M, such as mouse-traps, and the moon, and memory, and muchness-- you know you say things are 'much of a muchness' did you ever see such a things as a drawing of a muchness?'"
pg 73 "Once upon a time, there were three little sisters...and their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie."
pg 20 "Down, down, down."
pg 37 "Mine is a long and sad tale," said the mouse turning to Alice, and sighing. "It is a long tail, certainly," said Alice, "but why do you call it sad?"
Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with,' the Mock Turtle replied; `and then the different branches of Arithmetic-- Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.'
`I never heard of "Uglification,"' Alice ventured to say. `What is it?'
The Gryphon lifted up both its paws in surprise. `What! Never heard of uglifying!' it exclaimed. `You know what to beautify is, I suppose?'
`Ten hours the first day,' said the Mock Turtle: `nine the next, and so on.'
`What a curious plan!' exclaimed Alice.
`That's the reason they're called lessons,' the Gryphon remarked: `because they lessen from day to day.'
`Well, there was Mystery,' the Mock Turtle replied, counting off the subjects on his flappers, `--Mystery, ancient and modern, with Seaography: then Drawling--the Drawling-master was an old conger-eel, that used to come once a week: HE taught us Drawling, Stretching, and Fainting in Coils.'
pg 37 "Mine is a long and sad tale," said the mouse turning to Alice, and sighing. "It is a long tail, certainly," said Alice, "but why do you call it sad?"
`I never heard of "Uglification,"' Alice ventured to say. `What is it?'
The Gryphon lifted up both its paws in surprise. `What! Never heard of uglifying!' it exclaimed. `You know what to beautify is, I suppose?'
`Ten hours the first day,' said the Mock Turtle: `nine the next, and so on.'
`What a curious plan!' exclaimed Alice.
`That's the reason they're called lessons,' the Gryphon remarked: `because they lessen from day to day.'
`Well, there was Mystery,' the Mock Turtle replied, counting off the subjects on his flappers, `--Mystery, ancient and modern, with Seaography: then Drawling--the Drawling-master was an old conger-eel, that used to come once a week: HE taught us Drawling, Stretching, and Fainting in Coils.'